By Lookout Staff

October 29, 2025 -- A Santa Monica man who pleaded guilty to running an illegal gambling business, money laundering and concealing income from the IRS was sentenced Tuesday to 21 months in federal prison.

As part of a plea agreement, Christopher King must also pay $3.8 million in restitution to the IRS and forfeit $10 million after concealing $13,586,493 of income from the IRS between 2019 and 2022.

In his 2022 tax return, for example, King reported $143,258 in taxable income when he in fact earned more than $5 million, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

King, who worked out of his Santa Monica home, used a sports betting website based in Costa Rica "to facilitate bettors wagering on sporting events" in violation of state and federal law, prosecutors said.

"King laundered his money by channeling it through real estate development projects and gold," Justice Department officials said.

He also used money from the gambling business "to fund his brokerage and financial accounts."

King faced 10 years in prison for money laundering and a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each count of tax evasion, operating an illegal gambling operation and "accepting a financial instrument for unlawful internet gambling," authorities said.

In addition, King faced "a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties."

Under a plea agreement reached before pleading guilty in April, King agreed to pay $10 million in a personal money judgment of forfeiture when he was sentenced.

According to Department of Justice officials, King has already paid the forfeiture and restitution.